


Imprisonment

by jellybeansarecool



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: After Spyfall but during season 12 for the Fam, Darillium for River and Twelve, F/F, F/M, Kidnapping, River Yaz and Ryan to the rescue, River just wants to grow sunflowers, barely any spoilers for it though, more of a mention that it all happened really, the Doctor is still terrible at telling anyone anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22759657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jellybeansarecool/pseuds/jellybeansarecool
Summary: The Sycorax war chief suspects the colonists of Darillium of kidnapping his son. To protect her new home, River must travel to a planet dedicated to imprisonment to find the boy and bring him back before his father blows the colony sky high. Along the way, she teams up with Yaz and Ryan.
Relationships: The Doctor/River Song, Thirteenth Doctor & Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, Twelfth Doctor/River Song
Comments: 8
Kudos: 89





	Imprisonment

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting half-written in a computer folder since the beginning of season 12. I finally decided to sit down and finish it. Hopefully, it reads alright.

“Doc?”

The Doctor looked up from the brightly coloured rainbow toque she held in her hands. Spotting Graham at the stall next to her munching on a sandwich, she replied with a noncommittal hum. 

“Have you seen Ryan? Or Yaz? I can’t seem to spot them anywhere.”

The lazy relaxed feeling that had wrapped itself around her flew away in an instant. Her hearts started to beat faster and her brows furrowed in that unique combination of frustration and worry. Spinning around in the hope that she would catch a glimpse of either of her young companions, she let out a huff when there was no sight of Ryan or Yaz, only the bustling marketplace that she had brought them to. 

“I’m sure they’re fine. Let’s just wander around and see if we can find them,” Graham said as he took another bite of his sandwich. 

“Fine? I doubt it,” the Doctor snorted, “On any other planet maybe. But here? No.”

“I thought this was a safe market! You said you would bring us to meet some nice aliens!” 

“I did. But this market just happens to be on a prison planet.”

“A Prison Planet!” Graham’s eyes grew large, “What’d you bring us here for?”

“Ryan wanted to meet some more aliens. This is a brilliant place to meet them!”

“But a prison planet?”

“Why do you think I said, ‘don’t wander off’?” 

“You always say stuff like that. Didn’t think it meant much.” Graham shrugged, “If you hadn’t been looking at hats for two hours they probably wouldn’t have wandered off. I know I would have if there wasn’t a sarnie stall right here.” 

“So,” Graham asked as he followed the Doctor who was walking purposefully in the direction of a tall spire that rose above the makeshift tents and stalls, “how are we going to find them then?” 

River looked either side of her before she stepped out into the cold industrial hallway. It was a quick mission but an important one. She held her scanner in one hand, her other free ready to grab her sonic or blaster at any moment. The prison wasn’t a large one, nor was it elaborate. She wasn’t expecting much trouble. That was until she heard two human voices floating down the corridor. 

“….don’t wander off. If you’d just _listened_ to the Doctor, we wouldn’t be here!” 

“You’re here too aren’t you? I’m not the only one to blame for this.”

River rolled her eyes. If she were paid a credit every time she ran into her husband’s ever-curious companions, she wouldn’t have to go around stealing priceless artefacts. She’d just do it for fun. She hummed to herself. Nothing different there then. 

Ignoring her scanner and placing it in her pocket, she inched toward the sound of the voices. 

Yaz sat cross-legged on the small, sad excuse for a mattress that rested on a rusty metal frame. It was disgusting, but it was the furthest from Ryan she could get. She wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was livid with her friend. The Doctor had told them to stay close, to not wander off. At first, she and Ryan had looked around the stalls while keeping the Doctor in sight. But after more than an hour, the alien was still looking closely at hats. With nothing to do, Ryan had suggested that they explore a little further. Yaz had glanced at the Doctor and decided that she wasn’t going to move for a while and agreed, though with the caveat that they only are gone for a few minutes. Who knew when the Doctor would want to move on? 

It was probably close to half-an-hour when they had come to the edge of the market. She was reluctant to admit it, but she had gotten lax. She was having a good time nosing around stalls and laughing with Ryan and had lost track of how long they had been gone and how far they had wandered. The sight of the bare harsh rock and sand of the desert was enough to shock her back to reality, however. 

Ryan had spotted a particular outcrop that would provide a great view of the market. And it didn’t look too hard to climb. She had tried to tell him to forget it, that they should be heading back to the Doctor and Graham. Who knew what those two would be up to? But then Ryan held out his hand and gave her that quirky little smile and Yaz knew that she had lost. It had hit her again how much his confidence had grown since they had started travelling with the Doctor. Not that long ago he would have looked at the rocks and baulked at the thought of climbing to the top. He still struggled with coordination, but his willingness to try had multiplied tenfold. 

She had tried to tell him that they had to be quick, but when they finally got to the top of the rocks, the view took her breath away. The desert carried on as far as the eye could see. The colours weaved and melded together, creating a gorgeous picture as it stood in stark contrast to the vibrant blue of the sky. Ryan had said something about it being ‘proper beautiful’, but she wasn’t listening. Her brain was doing everything it could to capture the scene in her mind. Then Ryan placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. He spun her around slowly, and for the second time in as many minutes, her breath was torn from her lungs. 

From their position above the marketplace, they could see the bright tents and stalls as they created a sea of colour that burst out of the yellows and golds of the desert around them. They could hear the faint sound of laughter and the calls of the men and women selling their wares. Even the smell of frying food was carried upon the soft breeze to their vantage point on the large rock. 

“Wasn’t it worth it?” Ryan had asked, looking down at her with a smile. Ever since that incident with M16, it was like he was trying to show her all the beautiful and wonderful things throughout their travels. Maybe she was going crazy, but it was like he was trying to convince her that she should keep travelling. It made her mad to think that he was trying to get her to stay. Did he think she’d just leave? Leave the Tardis? Leave the travelling? Leave the Doctor? No. Of course she wouldn’t leave! But it also warmed her heart to know that he cared. Cared for her, cared for the little family that they were creating – the Doctor, Graham, Ryan, and herself.

She had sat down on the rock and let her feet dangle over the edge. After a moment, Ryan joined her. He had frowned and looked like he wanted to ask her something, but before he could, three large creatures started yelling at them from the base of the rock. She remembered being surprised at how they hadn’t noticed them approaching. They were massive beasts. Massive beasts with guns. 

They had reminded her of hippopotamuses. Large noses that seemed to take over their faces, small flicking ears, and oversized teeth, almost like tusks. She had climbed down as fast as she was able to while also helping Ryan to stay upright on his feet. As soon as they had stepped back down onto the sand, the hippo-men had grabbed onto their arms and dragged them off. 

Yaz was furious that she was locked in a small cell with Ryan rather than exploring the bazaar with the Doctor. If only she hadn’t listened to him! She looked up at Ryan and glared at him again. He ducked his head sheepishly. After a moment, he seemed to make his mind up about something. Letting go of the prison door bar, he took the three steps required to cross the floor. Sitting down beside her, he blinked sadly as she shuffled away from him and jammed herself up against the wall. 

“I don’t want to talk,” Yaz said, tucking her knees up to her chest. 

“I know.”

It was quiet for a few minutes before Ryan spoke again, “I know you want me to apologise, but how was I to know leaving the market was punishable by imprisonment?”

“She said, don’t wander off. If you’d just _listened_ to the Doctor, we wouldn’t be here!” 

“You’re here too aren’t you? I’m not the only one to blame for this,” Ryan retorted, his patience wearing thin with his friend’s determination to stay mad. He’d only wanted to help her.

Yaz shot him another glare and leapt off the bed. She couldn’t sit still for another minute. Especially not beside Ryan. He wasn’t even _sorry_ that he’d got them into this mess. She started to pace the cell. Three steps to the other wall. Three steps to the bars. Back and forth. Back and forth. 

“Are you two going to kiss and make up or should I come back later?” 

Yaz and Ryan’s heads whipped up toward the sound of the rich, husky voice of the older woman leaning against the wall outside their cell. 

Yaz stammered, her bluster failing her, “Wah, no. No! We’d- We’re- No.” 

The woman laughed, deep and strong. 

“Who are you?” Ryan asked as he unfolded himself off the bed and came to stand beside Yaz at the door of their small cell. 

“River.” 

“River?” Yaz asked, her tongue finally working again. 

River raised her eyebrows and gave a small nod before asking, “And you are?” 

“I’m Ryan, and this is Yaz. We shouldn’t be here.” 

“Of course not sweetie. Everyone in prison is innocent.” The sarcasm dripped from her voice. 

“What do you want?” Yaz folded her arms, annoyance seeping through every movement. 

“To get you out.”

“Why?”

“I could use an extra hand and you two could definitely use some help. So why don’t we help each other?” 

“Yeah. Ok.” Ryan nodded in agreement. 

Yaz turned on Ryan, “Ryan! We don’t even know what she wants us to do! She could be a murderer.” 

“Oh, I am.” River smiled. It reminded Ryan of a shark, he gulped. “But don’t worry. Do as I say, and you’ll be fine. I’m not here to kill anyone today.”

Ryan and Yaz looked at each other. Was there any other option? They nodded and stepped back from the bar. 

River held out her sonic. It made a soft whirring noise. A brief moment passed before the prison door clicked open. Stepping out of confinement, Yaz and Ryan fell into step behind River. 

“Where’d you get the sonic? Did you make yours as well?” 

River arched an eyebrow at the boy but before she could answer a buzzing from inside her coat cut her off. Fumbling with her jacket for a moment, she reached deep into the pocket before pulling out a compact communication device. Pressing a button with a manicured finger, she drew the device up to her ear. A fond smile curved her lips. Yaz and Ryan could just make out what the person on the other end of the line was saying. 

“Have you found him yet?” The voice demanded. It was a man’s voice with a Scottish lilt to it. 

“And hello to you too.” 

“River,” the voice growled, “this is serious.”

River sighed, first time off-planet and she’s not allowed to have any fun, “I’ve narrowed it down to the planet, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got the right prison.”

“Good. Be quick.”

“I’m trying Sweetie.”

The other voice took on a fond quality, “I know. I know. I just don’t know how much longer I can keep these stupid pudding brains from blowing us all up.” 

River chuckled, “Do you what you do best then.”

“River!”

“No. I meant talk. Keep talking.”

Laughing softly at the grumbling on the other end of the phone River ended the conversation, “See you soon, My Love.” 

Yaz and Ryan watch River turn off the small device and place it back in her pocket. 

River saw them staring at her quizzically, “My husband,” she explained, “There is a warring race, pirates really, called the Sycorax. Have you heard of them? No? Oh. Well, they can be quite violent – my husband lost a hand to them once – and they are convinced that the human colony of Darillium has kidnapped and imprisoned the war chief’s son. Absolute nonsense. But if they don’t get the boy back, then they will bomb the colony. Now, I live there, and I don’t want to see my home destroyed. Do you know how hard it is to grow sunflowers in the perpetual night?”

Yaz shook her head numbly. 

“So, we’re looking for this prince fellow then?” Ryan asked. 

River nodded, tapping her scanner in a few places she began to walk away. Ryan and Yaz trotted to keep up with her. 

“Is that some sort of scanner? How can you track the chief’s son if you haven’t met him? Don’t you need some DNA or something?” Yaz queried. 

River looked surprised. Her eyebrows raised a fraction and a small smile curved the corners of her lips. “Usually, yes if you want to get a perfect signal. But because the Sycorax have a unique bio-signature and the son is the only one on the planet I just need to follow the basic signal to find him.” 

They walked a while in silence through the metallic hallways. Stopping at every junction to consult the datapad, they continued to weave their way through the concrete labyrinth. Yaz could feel the tension draining from her body as her shoulders loosened, and her mind buzzed with the thrill of adventure. She discovered early on that she couldn’t live without that hit of adrenaline that accompanied the chase. The adrenaline pushed out all the fears and doubts, letting her focus on what was in front of her, on what was important. 

She started to think kindly of Ryan once more; she could never stay mad at him for long. He was her friend after all. Without irritation clouding her mind, she started to notice a few things that slipped past her the first time – the way River crept along the hallways, her feet not making a sound, the bulge created by a pistol beneath her dress on one leg, and –

“River? Why isn’t anyone else in this prison? I’m a cop. I know prisons. Why is this one so quiet? Other than me and Ryan I haven’t seen anyone,” Yaz asked. 

“I can see why the Doctor likes you.” 

“You know the Doctor?” Ryan was surprised. 

“ _Intimately_.” River’s voice dropped low and dripped with suggestion. 

Yaz heard Ryan gulp over the rush of blood in her own ears and felt a shiver run down her spine.

River’s datapad beeped softly, “We’re here,” she whispered, barely noticing Ryan and Yaz standing awkwardly behind her. 

They stood in front of a thick steel door, a small barred window allowing the only view of the room. River stood on her toes to look in. “Bastards,” she spat. 

“What? What is it?” Yaz asked. 

“Look for yourself.”

Yaz took the position in front of the door and peered through the bars. A soft oath passed through her lips. 

Ryan pushed his friend gently away and caught sight of what his two companions had seen – a small child sitting in the corner of the room. He could only see its back, but straight away he knew that this was no human child, “That’s him then?” he questioned River before turning back to look through the high window. The child had turned around. The sight of the boy’s bony exoskeleton wrapped around his red fleshy face tore an involuntary scream from the young man. Bouncing back from the door, he cried, “What is that?!”

“I should have warned you. Their appearance can be unsettling for those meeting them for the first time.” 

River crouched down in front of the lock, holding her sonic to it. Skipping through settings, she soon had the door unlocked. It swung open with a loud echoing screech. Ryan winced at the noise, but the child didn’t move. 

“We don’t have much time,” River said, “Grab him and let’s get out of here.” 

“What?” Ryan and Yaz screeched unanimously.

“It doesn’t matter which one of you. Just do it quickly. I’d grab him myself, but if we need to fight our way out of here, I need two hands. You were right Yaz. It’s too quiet and while the Jaarzuux tend to kill within twenty-four hours of imprisonment that doesn’t explain why there are no guards outside this cell or any of the others.” 

Ryan and Yaz looked at each other, a silent argument passing between them. Yaz frowned and let out a sigh. 

“Fine!”

Ryan looked at River, who was trying to hold back a smile. “She used to babysit her cousins. She’s got more experience than me,” he explained with a shrug. 

Yaz crept into the cell. She tried to stay low and unthreatening. “Hey there big-fella, I’m here to take you back to your Daddy. Would you like that? Would you like to go home?”

The little boy nodded. 

Yaz’s shoulders slumped in relief. She had no idea what she would have done if the kid didn’t want to leave the cell. She held out her hand and tried not to wince when she felt his cold leathery one grasp hers. Standing up slowly, the boy walked beside her. His eyes grew large behind his bone plating at the sight of the other two human-like creatures standing in the hall. It was the most human he had ever seen at one time. 

When he stepped over the threshold of his prison cell, all hell broke loose. Sirens started to wail. The lights all turned red and began to spin. The lights caught every corner and angle in their harsh glare. 

“Damn,” River said. 

Breaking into a run, River waved her arm towards the others gesturing for them to follow.

Yaz sighed. She bent down and scooped up the child in her arms, careful not to tangle herself up in his red robes. Pounding after River and Ryan, she soon came to a screeching halt when a thick hand shot out and grabbed her arm. 

“River! Ryan!” Yaz yelled as she struggled against the large hippo-creature. 

River was almost around the corner when she heard Yaz’s voice cry out over the piercing sirens. She rolled her eyes and spun around on her heel. Heading back in the opposite direction, she caught Ryan by the hand and pulled him back along the way they came. 

A few seconds later, they were standing in front of three Jaarzuuxian guards. One held a large energy pistol at Yaz’s head while his partner was trying to take the child from her arms. The final guard had seen their approach and was levelling his own gun at Ryan and River. 

Ryan’s stomach clenched at the sight of the guns. It was one thing to pick one up in an attempt to protect the ones he loved. It was a whole other thing when the guns were pointed at him and his friends. He glanced at River, and to his surprise, she was standing cool and collected beside him as if she didn’t have a care in the world. At one point, she even inspected her nails. He didn’t know whether to feel confident or even more afraid. 

After a momentary pause, the guard tried again to take the chief’s son from Yaz’s arms. 

“I wouldn’t do that,” River said. Her voice had dropped to a menacing growl. Her stance had changed, her feet were braced, and her shoulders pulled back in a position of power. This was a woman ready for battle.

He turned to her, his tusks protruded arrogantly from his mouth, “Silence human. I am taking the child. He is our payment.” 

River frowned, and her lips drew a tight line across her face, “What did you give the Sycorax that they would pay you with a child?”

“Those _insects_ attacked our ships, killed our people, and enslaved them for generations. Only in the last fifteen years have we been strong enough to retaliate. Unlike them we were kind, we would accept one member of their race each year as payment not to rain down fire on them,” the guard closest to River began, “But then one year they went to enslave the earth. In their arrogance, they only took one ship. Not only did they fail, but they also lost their leader. Their whole ship was destroyed! Useless cowards. The new leader has failed to give us blood money, so we gave them one final warning. The chief’s son or there would be war.”

River’s eyebrow arched in disbelief, “And he just gave you his son?” 

The beast laughed, spittle flying out from his thick jaws, “No, his second-in-command smuggled the boy out to save his own skin.” 

“What are you going to do with the boy?” 

“We will sell him to the enemies of the Sycorax, just as they sold us to our enemies.” 

River nodded, “Then you should give him to me.” 

The three hippo-creatures stared at her in confusion, “What did you say?”

“Give him to me.”

“Why would we do that?”

“My husband was the one who killed the Sycorax leader. He is their enemy. What better revenge than to give the child of the war chief to the man who killed his predecessor?” 

While she was speaking, the three guards closed in on her, ignoring Yaz and the boy for a moment. A moment was all the teenager needed. Backing away slowly, Yaz rounded the corner. 

Watching Yaz out of the corner of her eye, River continued to distract the Jaarzuuxian men. “And how would you pay?” They were asking. 

River gave her best condescending laugh, “Pay you? Not killing you right now should be payment enough!” 

“A puny human? Kill us?” One of the guards scoffed. 

River’s eyes flashed steel, “Not quite human, me,” she ground out, “And I could kill you with a hairpin in less than a minute.” 

The guards laughed again. The sound of running feet cut them off, however. Turning to look at the human holding the Sycorax child, they shouted when they realised she was gone. 

As they turned their backs, River quickly drew out her own weapon. Without blinking, she fired three times in quick succession. Each shot hit its mark. Before even one of the Jaarzuuxian guards could turn around, they were slumped on the floor in a heaving pile of blubber. 

“You killed them!” Ryan gasped as he chased after her down the hall and around the corner. 

“Just stunned!” River called back, “Those things are so dense one blast isn’t enough to kill them. More’s the pity.” 

It didn’t take long for them to catch up to Yaz. She was standing at the end of a hallway trying to keep the child from squirming out of her arms. River and Ryan jogged up to her. When they reached her, River held out her arms for the boy. Yaz gratefully gave him to her. Hitching the child up on to her hip, River gave them instructions on how to get out of the prison. 

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Yaz asked. 

River shook her head and held up her wrist. 

“Isn’t that…?”

“A Vortex Manipulator.” River nodded. “Before I go, can I ask you to do one thing for me?”

“What is it?” Ryan asked. This woman had been a mystery from the start. She had a sonic screwdriver, a gun, and a vortex manipulator. She had broken them out of jail and confronted some of the ugliest aliens he had met so far. She knew the Doctor, and he couldn’t decide if River was like her or nothing like her at all. He couldn’t wrap his mind around who this woman was, not that she had told them anything. Maybe she was more like that Doctor than he first thought.

“The Doctor. You know him. Travel with him I presume-”

Yaz opened her mouth to correct River. 

“No. Please, I don’t have much time. You must know that he’s marvellous and wonderful. You can’t help but see that when you travel with him. He’s the best man you’ll ever meet, but don’t forget that he needs you. He needs someone – good people, people like you – to look out for him. To stop him when he goes too far. To look after him when he forgets to look after himself. Please. Look after him for me.” 

Ryan and Yaz barely had a chance to nod before she vanished in a zap of electricity. The smell of ozone filled the air of the corridor. 

When River reappeared, she was standing on the Sycorax flagship between her husband and the man threatening to blow up her home. When the child saw its father, he squirmed and shouted gleefully. The war chief rushed forward and snatched his boy from her arms. 

River took a step back and folded herself into the Doctor’s side. He squeezed her hand gently. 

“You will probably want to talk to your second-in-command about his policy toward child smuggling and selling.” River grinned ferally before wrapping her arm around the Doctor and pressing the homing button on her manipulator. 

Appearing in a flash of light in their living room, the Doctor stumbled against his wife. Grabbing her gently by the arms and pulling her close, he mumbled, “You were marvellous, you ridiculous woman,” against her lips between soft kisses. 

Back on the prison planet, Yaz and Ryan burst out of the prison and straight into the arms of their friends.

“Yaz! Ryan!” The Doctor cried with a smile. 

“You ok son?” Graham asked Ryan, holding him at arm’s length after a bone-crushing hug. 

“Yeah, we’re alright.” 

“Good. Now, what did I say about wandering off?” The Doctor chastised her youngest companions. 

Yaz and Ryan looked at each other and shrugged with a smile before answering in unison, “Don’t wander off.” 

The Doctor nodded, her blond hair bobbing with the movement, “Don’t wander off,” she echoed as she slung her arms around their shoulders and walked back towards the Tardis with them on either side of her. 

“Doctor?” Ryan asked later when they were all settled and relaxing on the steps inside the Tardis.

“Yes, Ryan?” The Doctor looked up from her inspection of the console. 

“I think we met one of your friends today.” 

The Doctor stepped away from the console and toward the trio. A small frown creased the skin between her eyebrows. 

“Oh yeah,” Yaz nodded, “Her name was River. She got us out of our cell and asked us to look after you, but she kept calling you a man, so maybe she was thinking of someone else?”

Graham shook his head, “No. She was serious when she said she used to be a man.” 

“Really?” Ryan looked first from Graham to the Doctor and back again. 

“So, do you know her?” Yaz asked again. 

A lump formed in the Doctor’s throat. She didn’t realise how hard it would be to talk about River, or even hear her name after so long. Struggling to speak around it, she cleared her throat. Turning back towards the console to hide her face, she replied, “Once. A long time ago.” It wasn’t as breezy as she’d hoped, but if she was lucky, they would leave it be. 

With her back towards them, she didn’t notice her companions let out a collective sad and slightly frustrated sigh. Nor did she see how their shoulders slumped at being snubbed again. They understood that there were things that she didn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t talk about, but it hurt not to be trusted time and time again. It also hurt to see their friend in obvious pain but not be able to do anything about it. Maybe if they kept trying, eventually she would tell them something real and not hide behind a wall of fancy words. Maybe, maybe one day…

**Author's Note:**

> Have a great day,  
> JBeans


End file.
